The Baldur's Gate Series

[Taak Farst]

So..it's simple really. I have grown interested in trying out the baldur's gate games and wondered what others thought of it before a waste a fiver or so - so - simply - what do YOU think of the baldur's gate series? i have liked bioware games for some time but this isnt one i picked up.

[Q]

The Baldur's Gate series is the most fun that I've ever had playing a CRPG. Despite its flaws, I think that Baldur's Gate II is probably the greatest CRPG released to date. These games are tough; especially BG2, but that's what makes them rewarding. They're tedious at first, but once you learn how to develop tactics and use your party, the experience is thoroughly enjoyable. Both are definitely worth playing, and a must for any fan of D&D-based CRPGs.

 

I can't talk about it in length, here, because of certain forum rules, but if you want to have the best experience playing BG1 on a modern PC, you're going to want to check out the extensive list of BG mods; specifically those having to do with Tutu.

 

Get these games and their expansions and have fun.

[Pavlos]

Funnily enough, I'm replaying Baldur's Gate II at the moment. The first game hasn't aged well, I'm not sure if a new-comer these days would find anything to take pleasure in there. The second, is a highly enjoyable experience, despite some of the dodgy dialogue you have to expect of BioWare; even Homer nods, I suppose. The game's villain is certainly one of the more interesting that BioWare has come up with and, even if -- lacking in rose-tinted glasses -- you can't extract any enjoyment from the gameplay and plot, its interesting to see the giant of the RPG world taking its first steps.

[Totenkopf]

Never played the first one, but have played #2. Though I'm not into the sword and sorcery thing, it's worth the fiver.

[Q]

BG1 is worth a playthrough, if only for taking your PC from a Level 1 weakling all the way to a Level 50 god.

[stoffe]

BG1 is worth a playthrough, if only for taking your PC from a Level 1 weakling all the way to a Level 50 god.

 

I did that once... exported/imported the same triple-multiclassed half-elven character for multiple playthroughs until I had reached the level cap in all 3 classes. Somewhat overkill.

 

Won't work though if you want to play as one of the new classes/specializations introduced in Baldurs Gate II. If you play BG2 first then BG1 will probably feel a bit dull and primitive by comparison. At least it did for me.

[Q]

Tutu lets you play the newer classes/kits in BG1, and the insane difficulty setting remains challenging even if you use a level cap remover.

[ChAiNz.2da]

While I agree that BG1 pales in comparison to BG2, I'd still recommend at least a playthrough...

 

Much of the intro to BG2 is to stir up some emotion about what is happening (during the escape), and it's impact hits harder if you know what the heck they're talking about.. hehehe

 

Also, some of the revelations you learn in BG2 won't have the same effect if you haven't experienced the first game. Lots of "AHA!" moments to those who ran BG1 first.

 

However, in any case, you can't lose no matter what order you play them in.. though if you can only choose one, I'd have to pick BG2. One of my favorite-est games ever.

[Prime]

I've played BG2, it is definitely worth it. I like the sprite graphics, even now. Plus the level of immersion in the game world rivals or exceeds what we have today IMO. Having more than 3 party members at a time and the strategy required make it much more in depth than many of the RPGs currently. It is considered by many to be an all-time classic, and I'd agree.

 

I'm planning on playing again in the near future...

[JediAthos]

I think the series as a whole is worth the play through while I will admit to 2 being leaps and bounds better than one. I have too many other games I"m playing at the moment to go back and play them, but I still have my original disks and expansions.

[Tysyacha]

I am a Janey-come-lately to CRPG's, having only now downloaded BG1. I've never played it. Heck, I even played KOTOR 2 before KOTOR 1, and never finished DA:O because I kept screwing up and dying in this one part. By then it was too late to respec my char. I think I'll like BG nonetheless.

[DarthParametric]

You'll probably find BG1 fairly brutal in comparison to today's RPGs. If you are completely unfamiliar with D&D mechanics and Infinity Engine games, make sure you save a lot.

 

I would highly recommend you investigate some bug fix mods. If you have BG2, I would also recommend one of the amalgamation mods like BG Trilogy etc. Check out the Spellhold Studios and Gibberlings 3 sites.

[Totenkopf]

I am a Janey-come-lately to CRPG's, having only now downloaded BG1. I've never played it. Heck, I even played KOTOR 2 before KOTOR 1, and never finished DA:O because I kept screwing up and dying in this one part. By then it was too late to respec my char. I think I'll like BG nonetheless.

 

 

Played that one for first time a few years ago. Not really into D&D style games, but it was fairly entertaining enough. Minsc was kind of funny.

[Liverandbacon]

I quite like the series, mainly BG 2. I've noticed that while opinions vary wildly on most RPGs, there are very few people who outright hate BG 2.

 

I think this may be because many people worship games like Planescape for its writing and story, Temple of Elemental Evil for its combat, and other RPGs for whatever it is they do best. People will like those games more or less depending on what they see as the most important features of an RPG. Those who put combat first often dislike PST, and those who like a story or actual choices often dislike ToEE.

 

BG2 strikes a balance between extremes. It doesn't match ToEE in combat, PST in writing, or Acanum + Fallout 1/2 in choices, but it does each of those features quite well. It may not have enough of whatever someone considers the key aspect of an RPG to make it their favorite, but it'd be unlikely for them to not enjoy it at all.

 

You'll probably find BG1 fairly brutal in comparison to today's RPGs. If you are completely unfamiliar with D&D mechanics and Infinity Engine games, make sure you save a lot.

 

I would highly recommend you investigate some bug fix mods. If you have BG2, I would also recommend one of the amalgamation mods like BG Trilogy etc. Check out the Spellhold Studios and Gibberlings 3 sites.

 

^I agree with everything DarthParametric said in this post.

[harark1]

I tryed out the first one but it's not my favorite because there aren't many charcter class choices. I prefer Champions of Norrath. (Didn't particually like the first one so never played the second.)

[DarthParametric]

I've noticed that while opinions vary wildly on most RPGs, there are very few people who outright hate BG 2.

A good measure of this is the Codex. They famously despise Bioware and everything they do (and have ever done). Whilst they worship Fallout, Arcanum, and Torment above all else (the Holy Trinity, as they call them) and belittle BG2 as vastly inferior, they still consistently manage to rank BG2 in the top 5 of their annual best RPG of all time poll (although last year it dropped down to 6th by a vote or two).

[Q]

I am a Janey-come-lately to CRPG's, having only now downloaded BG1. I've never played it. Heck, I even played KOTOR 2 before KOTOR 1, and never finished DA:O because I kept screwing up and dying in this one part. By then it was too late to respec my char. I think I'll like BG nonetheless.

I think you will, too, but instead of downloading it you should have just gone ahead and bought this. It has both games and their expansions on one DVD, and it's not expensive at all. That way you can go ahead and use the Baldur's Gate Trilogy mod, which combines both games and their expansions into one big game. It ends up being literally 100s of hours of gameplay that I think you will love. These games are huge, and, compared to modern cRPGs, hard as hell.

 

Before you do that, though, mess around with BG1 a bit and see if you like the gameplay at all. Keep in mind that BG2 is far better than the original. If the version you downloaded came with Tales of the Sword Coast, you can use the widescreen mod to run it at any resolution you wish. I recommend 1280x800 for a 16:10 monitor or 1280x720 for 16:9. It has to have the expansion installed or it won't work.

[DarthParametric]

The BG games hold up remarkably well in modern resolutions thanks to the enormous size of their maps. The BG2 maps are typically in the order of something like 3000x5000. I run BG2 at 1920x1080 with the widescreen mod and it's perfectly fine. All it needs is the addition of the font increase mod, but only because I'm old and half-blind. For those that want that, grab it here - http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38626

[Q]

I prefer 1280x800 because, for me at least, everything gets too small at any resolution higher than that, and not just the fonts.

[Prime]

The BG games hold up remarkably well in modern resolutions thanks to the enormous size of their maps. The BG2 maps are typically in the order of something like 3000x5000. I run BG2 at 1920x1080 with the widescreen mod and it's perfectly fine. All it needs is the addition of the font increase mod, but only because I'm old and half-blind. For those that want that, grab it here - http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38626

Are you running it on Windows 7?

[DarthParametric]

Yes - 7 x64.

[DarthParametric]

Some of you may have already seen this:

 

http://www.baldursgate.com

 

The page source has the following commented out:

 

<!-- February 29, 2012 -->
<!-- Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine -->

<!-- Take heart fellow adventurers, for you have curried the favor of Boo, the only miniature giant space hamster in the Realm! -->

<!-- I can teach you how to use your wrath. -->

 

The buzz is that it is most likely an iOS port of BG1 & 2, but there's no official word as yet. It's apparently being handled by Beamdog, who most recently did the HD update of MDK2 (Bioware's 3rd game).

[JediAthos]

I saw that and the speculation that ensued. I would love a BG port for iOS, but I'd love another BG game even more Not likely, but still one can hope!

[Taak Farst]

I ended up never getting this game, for reasons I can't remember. An iOS port would be a swell alternative though!

[Q]

Anyone who likes cRPGs and hasn't played the BG series needs to do so now.

 

BG1 is sorta mediocre, but BG2 puts just about every other BioWare game to shame.